There are many instances when the practice of medicine requires an examination of or a treatment of the esophagus, stomach upper intestine, etc., by means that pass through the mouth and into the throat. Any foreign solid object introduced into the mouth normally causes the patient to gag, which may be life threatening. Physicians, surgeons, dentists, etc. have developed techniques and procedures to counteract or minimize the tendency to gag. Among such procedures are the use of special anesthetics, and devices to hold the mouth open. Typical of such devices is that of U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,313 wherein a three-piece construction including a forward flange and a rearward flange joined together by a central soft elastic tubular unit which is clamped between the upper and lower teeth of the patient. This device is useful for the intended purpose, but it fails in certain aspects which the present invention provides.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel medical mouthpiece. It is another object of this invention to provide a novel mouthpiece to facilitate the introduction of a medical instrument into the patient's esophagus, while substantially eliminating gagging by the patient. Still other objects of the invention will appear from a study of the more detailed description which follows.